Shopping Malls in Dubai

As more and more shopping malls in Dubai are built , residents wonder why another shopping mall is needed. And yet, as soon as a new one is opened, it seems to fill up very quickly. To enjoy a wander through a shopping mall, visit Mercato in Jumeirah to get a taste of an Italian market (no, we know it’s nothing like the real thing) or Ibn Battuta Mall to learn a bit of history about the famous (he’s even in Wikipedia) Arabian traveller and have a coffee in the most splendid Starbucks in Dubai. Of course The Dubai Mall is not to be missed – there are enough attractions in the area to easily fill a day or two even if you don’t do any shopping.

Opening hours for Dubai shopping malls

Some shops will have different from normal shopping center hours eg supermarkets may open 0800 or 0900 to midnight. Fridays can be confusing with some shops only opening at 1600 in the afternoon, while others are open from 1000. Specific information is given in the list of Dubai and UAE shopping malls below, but hours can vary. As a general rule, shops are open 1000-2200 Saturday to Thursday, 1400 or 1600 to 2200 or 2400 on Fridays, and some of the larger shopping centers open late on Thursday-Saturday (from 1000-2400). Busy times are Friday afternoons and evenings (almost everyone has Fridays off) and Thursday evenings. Other evenings are not exactly quiet though. Mornings are the best time to avoid crowds.

Ramadan hours are usually extended to midnight for shops and 0100 or 0200 (yes, really!) for supermarkets. Shops might be closed around Iftar (1700-1900 depending on time of year).

Eid Al Fitr hours for larger shopping malls often extended to 0100 or 0200, with resturants and food outlets open later.

During Ramadan almost all food outlets will be closed during daylight hours (there might be one or two open in the larger malls).

Shops often stay open until midnight on other important dates eg New Years Eve, the night before Eid celebrations, Christmas Eve.

Number of shopping malls in Dubai

In Dubai, 35 shopping malls, with about 3500 stores, cover an area of 14 million sq meters (151 m sq ft or 14 sq km) said Easa Adam, the head of the Dubai Shopping Malls Group (DSMG), in February 2008.

List of shopping malls in Dubai in Alphabetical order

Abu Hail shopping mall (under construction), Union Co-op supermarket?

Agora Mall (The Agora Mall) (under construction in 2010, delayed, under construction again in 2014) – small mall in Jumeirah 1 on the Beach Rd (corner of Al Urouba St).

Al Furjan Shopping Center – another shopping center announced by Nakheel, or the same as the previous one but with expanded area – reported as 30,000 sq meters instead of 8,700 sq m (press release 26 Aug 2013).

Al Ghurair Centre or Al Ghurair City, Al Rigga Road in Deira. Open 1000-2200 except Fridays 1400-2200. The first large shopping mall in Dubai (opened in 1978 before the world had heard of Dubai), a cheaper place than the newer ones, has over 200 shops. Not completely self contained – some of the cafes open directly on to the main road for free carbon dioxide with your coffee. Al Ghurair Group borrowed AED 1.3 billion ($350m) in April 2009, the middle of a global economic crisis, to finance expansion of Al Ghurair City. That’s what you call bal…, er, confidence.

Al Khaleej Centre – Bur Dubai, small centre with random shops – mostly IT/computer related, and food court in basement, across the road from Al Ain Center. Paid parking but useful to know if you’re looking for somewhere in the area to park. Etisalat has a customer service centre in this mall.

Al Mizhar Mall – small mall with West Zone supermarket, near the Aswaaq Mizhar community center on the same road.

Al Mulla Plaza – last stop before Sharjah on the DXB-SHJ highway. Known more as a navigation aid than a place to go shopping. The first or one of the first shopping malls in Dubai.

Ansar Gallery – on Salahuddin Rd in Muraqqabat area of Deira, near the Salahuddin metro station (Green Line) and Reef Mall. Opening date 04 March 2012, area 80,000 sq feet. Contact tel +971-4-2500048. Owned, operated by Ansar Group (also owners of the Ansar Mall in Sharjah).

Arabian Center – tel +971-4-2845555. New (in March 2009) shopping center in Mirdif / Al Mizhar, about a third the size of Mall of the Emirates, with movie theaters (open mid-2009), WorldMart hypermarket, food court, children’s play area, and even a few shops.

Arena Mall – Dubai Sports City (DSC), under development November 2008 to 2010 end of 2013. GLA about 1.88 million square feet on 2 levels, with 300-340 shops, educational family entertainment centre, 12 screen cinema complex, 2 food courts, a Carrefour hypermarket, family entertainment and education center, 7000 car parks, direct connection to the DSC cricket stadium and indoor stadium. Opening date delayed until 2013 according to The National 10 March 2010 “The opening of Arena Mall in Dubai Sports City has been postponed until 2013 …” Arena Mall website at www.arenamall.ae.

Aswaaq Dubai – a chain of community centers and supermarkets being established in Dubai and the UAE. First Aswaaq stand-alone supermarket opened May 2009 in Al Sufouh (area 1000 sq m). Aswaaq plans to open 40 supermarkets and 20 community centers. Other Aswaaq centers in Nad Al Hamar and Al Mizhar. Centers under construction in Al Barsha, Al Twar, Al Warqaa, Umm Suqueim. Aswaaq toll-free tel is 800-279227 (ASWAAQ).

Bawadi Mall Dubai – planned for the Bawadi development in Dubailand. Confusing figures released but could be one of the largest shopping centers in the world when if it gets built. Unrelated to the Bawadi Mall in Al Ain which opened in 2009.

Bur Juman Centre (BurJuman, Bur Jaman, BurJaman Center) – on the Trade Center Road in Bur Dubai. Open 1000-2200 except Fridays 1400-2200. Expanded in 2006 from 200 to 300 shops, will also have movie theatres and more restaurants. A more exclusive destination than MOTE, DCC and IBM. Car parking charges 20 dhs per hour but do not apply if you spend more than AED 100 in the mall (last checked July 2009).

Deira City Center (Deira City Center, DCC, sometimes called ‘City Center Mall’), open 1000-2200 week days and 1000-2400 weekends, opposite Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club. Very busy in the evenings, parking is difficult. Good selection of shops, has a noisy food court and a Carrefour. IKEA Dubai (a Swedish furniture chain with strange product names like ‘blorp’, ‘pnuk’, and ‘abba’) used to be in DCC but moved to Dubai Festival City near the Garhood Bridge in 2006. BinHendi / Bin Hendi Avenue is a large collection of luxury retail shops in DCC that opened in December 2005 and closed (mostly) in April 2009. Car parking charges after the Dubai Metro start date on 09 September 2009: free for first 3 hours weekdays, 4 hours weekends. An extra hour if you’ve been to a movie (keep your ticket). After that, charges range from 20 dhs (weekdays) to 60 dhs (weekends) per hour. Update 09 September 2009: carparking to be free during weekends and public holidays (at least for now).

Dragon Mart (or DragonMart), on the Dubai-Hatta road, after Sheikh MBZ Rd (E311, previously Emirates Rd) junction heading in Oman direction, entrance after the International City exit. Many small shops (about 4000 with total area of 150,000 sq m, mall length is 1.2 km) selling Chinese manufactured products. Not quite the same as other shopping malls in Dubai but an interesting place to visit if you want a plastic bucket or a cheap plasma TV from China which might not work. Expansion of Dragonmart planned with construction to start in 2012? An additional 100,000 sq meters (1 million sq feet) of retail area to become available.

Dubai Mall– expected to be almost the biggest shopping mall in the world when it opens with area of about 10 million sq ft (1 million square meters) – four times the size of Mall of the Emirates. Expected opening date was early 2009 but revised (in April 2009) to end of 2010 for phase I. The Dubai Mall is about 100,000 sq m bigger – that difference is close to the total size of many other large shopping malls already open in Dubai. With about 1400 retail outlets to distract visitors, MOA will be the entry point for the Restless Planet dinosaur park. And if your bags are too heavy to carry home, there will be a hotel on the roof where you can park yourself and have a rest.

Dubai Marina Mall – in Dubai Marina (not the same as ‘Marina Mall’ in Abu Dhabi). With hotel and apartments, total development cost is over AED 1.4 billion. Opening date 22 December 2008. Mall location on the Dubai Marina water’s edge is appealing.

Hamriyah Shopping Center – in Al Hamriyah, not the same as the Hamarain Centre.

Ibn Battuta Mall (IBM) medium to large shopping mall at the Abu Dhabi end of Dubai, near Dubai Marina, Jumeirah Lakes Towers, and so on. Themed after some of the areas travelled through by the Arab explorer, Ibn Battuta, from the 14th century. Mall is on one floor with several areas named Andalusia, China, Egypt, India, Persia, Tunisia. One of the more interesting malls in Dubai to walk through if you want something different from the usual window shopping. There are several displays depicting the history of Ibn Battuta’s travels. Mall has a cinema complex, Geant hypermarket, food court, restaurants and cafes, indoor bowling, and a big boat in the China section. Ibn Battuta Mall expansion plans announced March 2009, with the mall size being doubled. Expansion plans delayed by a year or two or more. Developer is Nakheel.

Indi! Mall (not Indi Mall, Ind Mall, or India Mall?) – Indian themed shopping mall specialising in Indian products planned for Dubai by Halima Jarrah. Plans are for a circular two-storey building with basement parking, area of 62,345 square feet. on the ground and first floor with additional parking and storage areas in the basement, according to the blueprint. Interior with be themed after Indian state capitals. Ground floor will have roducts will include Indian brand name products, traditional handcrafts and heritage items, Indian bridal and normal textiles, gold and diamond jewellery, Indian cafes serving Indian coffee, 3 Bollywood style theatres, stage for shows and performances, water fountain, displays to recreate ancient India and Indian desert experiences. First floor will have Indian restaurants, snacks and sweet shops, hypermarket, children’s entertainment zone called “Mela”, Ayurveda treatment and products center, beauty saloon, Indian tourism center, Indian electronic products, large Indian style wedding and party hall (news reports 04 April 2012). Construction schedule and location information not supplied.

Jumeirah Town Center – yet another small mall on Jumeirah Beach Road, sister centre to the Mercato Mall, and within walking distance. Tel +971-4-3444161 or +971-4-3440111.

Khan Murjan – (Khan Murjan photos) underground souk, part of the Wafi Center complex, was due to open by end 2007 but delayed till early 2008. Based on a 14th century Suq (Souq) – the Khan Marjan Caravanserai in Baghdad, Iraq (renovated as a restaurant in the early 1990s, unknown what state it’s in now), and with further inspiration taken from other souks around the Middle East. Consider it more of a tourist attraction than a full-on shopping center, a bit like Souk Madinat or Souk Al Bahar, while the Wafi Mall should satiate your purchasing desires. Well worth a visit though.

Lamcy Plaza – large pink building on Sheikh Zayed Road near the Karama exit and opposite the American Hospital / Al Nasr Leisureland. Clothing shops always seem to have sales, and the top floor location of the supermarket seems odd. High atrium has a London Tower Bridge halfway up where you can sit and have coffee. Decent enough food court, two cinemas, parking difficult in evenings. Operated by Lals Group.

Madina Mall, Beirut Rd, Ghusais area. New mall scheduled to open in April 2011 (but probably later in 2011). Over 100 shops on two floors, includes a Carrefour supermarket.

Magrudys Center, Jumeirah Beach Road – the original Magrudy’s bookshop and shoeshop, Gerard’s cafe (where you may still be able to find the occasional Jumeirah Jane) and a few other small shops.

Mall of the Emirates (MOTE or MOE) – biggest in the UAE when it opened in November 2005 with area about 2.4 million square feet (220,000 sq m) and 400 shops, has an indoor ski field at one end along with a hotel. Parking can be difficult at busy times (evenings and holidays). Will look small once Dubai Mall and Mall of Arabia open. Car park charges apply after start date for running of Dubai Metro (09 Sep 2009) but first few hours free.

Mall of the World – part of the planned Mohammad Bin Rashid City development (announced November 2012). Expected to be the largest mall in the world when complete. Estimated project cost AED 10 billion? Universal Studios involved in the development. Construction start date and opening date not supplied.

Marina Mall – see ‘Dubai Marina Mall’ for the one in Dubai Marina, or ‘Marina Mall’ in the Abu Dhabi section below for the one in Abu Dhabi.

Mercato Mall – Jumeirah Beach Road near Dubai Zoo. Open 1000-2200 daily except Fridays 1400-2200. Quaint Italian themed centre with a good Virgin store (the music shop), a few clothing shops, Spinneys, Home Centre (closed), small food court, a couple of nice restaurants with one Italian one upstairs overlooking the Beach Road, several movie theatres, and lots of cobblestoned paths. First opened in October 2002.

Nakheel Mall (Palm Mall or Palm Jumeirah Mall?) – Jumeirah Palm Island. Opening date 2016 (maybe). Total of 300 stores including a Waitrose supermarket, 9 cinema screens, 6 medical clinics (what? 6??), all on 5 floors. Parking area on 3 levels with 4,000 spaces. Other facilities include a 1,000 sq meter indoor garden area, a top floor viewing area looking over the Palm Jumeirah Island. Also a 5-star hotel next to the mall.

Nakheel Retail Shopping Malls (a division of Nakheel Retail) – plans to build 5 new shopping malls in Dubai worth AED 11 billion ($US3 bn) (announced April 2008) – Palm Mall on Palm Jumeirah, Palm Mall on Palm Deira phase I, Ibn Battuta Mall Phase II to double the size of the existing Ibn Battuta Mall, India Mart for Indian wholesale and retail shopping, Great Mall Dubai also at International City. Cubellis Costa International (CCI), a design firm, are partnering with Nakheel for 2 of them – the IBM expansion and Great Mall Dubai. CCI are also designing the expansion of Dragon Mart. Myer, an Australian department store, are planning to expand into Dubai through the Nakheel shopping malls. Nakheel Retail had ambitious plans to become the largest mall developer in the Middle East by 2012 and the largest in the world by 2018. In March 2009, Nakheel announced that their retail development program would be delayed by 12 months.

Palm Strip shopping mall – one of many small shopping centers (rather than a shopping mall) on Jumeirah Beach Road, opposite The One furniture shop and the Jumeirah Mosque. Tel +971-4-3461462. Open 10am to 10pm except Fridays open 4pm or 5pm to 10pm.

Reef Mall

Royal Mall – small shopping mall in Al Manara due to open in 2011, renamed as the J3 Mall.

Souk Madinat – next to the Burj Al Arab in Al Sufouh / Umm Suqueim. Part of the Madinat Jumeirah complex. Not really a large shopping center but worth a visit for the traditional styled architecture and pleasant atmosphere along the (man-made) canals.

Souk Al Bahar – at the foot of the Burj Dubai in the Downtown Dubai development. Opened December 2007. Similar to Souk Madinat with many of the same restaurants. Also a pleasant place to stroll around but not where you’d go for a mega-shopping expedition. Has a Spinneys Market supermarket downstairs.

SouqExtra! – a chain of small community shopping centers across the UAE, developed by the Lootah Group. First one opening in Ewan Residences area of Dubai October 2009

Sunset Mall – in the Sunset Development on Jumeirah Beach Road, Jumeira 3. About 100 shops and restaurants with seaviews. The Sunset Mall developer, Dubai Investment Properties, is marketing it as a luxury shopping destination (which almost everywhere in Dubai does – even the Luxury Chicken Gutting and Hair Cutting Saloon in the depths of Deira) but in this case, given the location on the beach in Jumeirah, it might be a believable claim. Might be open in September 2009 (delayed from April 2009) … but as of August 2011 still not open. Update – first shops (only one or two) open December 2011 – others expected to open in 2012.

The Dubai Mall – off Defense Roundabout on Sheikh Zayed Road, near the Burj Dubai, finally opened in November 2008. The largest shopping mall in the world allegedly (but some larger malls exist in China). Has 1200+ shops in a total area of 12 million sq feet (1.1 million sq m). Actual retail space about 3.8m sq ft. The Dubai Mall includes posh restaurants, an Olympic ice-skating rink, and the largest goldfish bowl you’ve ever seen. New to the UAE shops include Waitrose (a UK supermarket, open Nov 2008), Galeries Lafayette (a French department store, open May 2009), Bloomingdales (a US department store, open Feb 2010), and Hamleys (a UK toy shop, open Nov 2008). Expansion of about 1 million sq feet underway during 2013-2015.

The Pointe at Palm Jumeirah – development announced by Nakheel 11 January 2012, consisting mostly of restaurants, cafes, fountains, and some boutique shops. Location opposite the Atlantis Hotel on the Jumeirah Palm island. Initial plans include 120 restaurants, 75 shops, an extra stop on the Jumeirah Palm monorail, and a nice marina promenade to walk along. Area about 135,000 sq m (not clear if that is retail area or total development area). Completion date supposedly by mid to end of 2013 (but Nakheel scheduled completion dates are often overly optimistic by a year or two).

Times Square Center – Sheikh Zayed Road, near Mall of the Emirates (on the same side). Opened May 2007. Small shopping mall with a large Sharif (not Sharafi) electronics store (huge in fact), and the “Chill Out” Ice Lounge, or Ice Bar, where you sit on ice chairs, and eat and drink from plates and glasses made of ice. They provide warm clothes so you don’t end up with frostbite. No alcohol, but you don’t have to worry about your ice cream melting. Other shops include Axxezz, Bayti, Biella, Caribou Café, Chrio, Color Nail, Duxiana, Edition Limitee, Evoluzione, Extreme Freshies, InterSport, InWear, Jealous 21, Joe Bloggs, Karisma, Lamborghini Café, Mikyajy, Nayomi, The Padi, Toys R Us, Sanrio, Storage Ideas, V-moto, Watch Square.

Wafi Shopping Centre (Wafi City Center, Wafi City Mall) – Sheikh Zayed Road near Garhood Bridge on the Bur Dubai side of the creek. Oud Metha area. Open 1000-2200 except Fridays 1600-2200. Small when it first opened with expensive luxury goods shops. Has expanded to around 200 shops now. Marks & Spencer (M&S, Marks & Spencers, or Marks & Sparks) have a presence, Thomson sells musical instruments, there’s a limited foodcourt upstairs, and a music lesson institute above the food court. It’s a quieter shopping centre than, say, MOTE. Except for Thursday nights and Friday afternoons/evenings. The complex also includes a spa, health, beauty, and sports club, accommodation, a couple of fine restaurants and bars (Wafi Rooftop is a good place to hang out), and Dubai’s Planet Hollywood restaurant. Parking free up to 3 hrs Sun-Thu, 10 dhs/hr after that, free all day Fri-Sat.

Wafi Underground Souk – see Khan Murjan above

Wasl Vita Mall – open early 2015 (not Wasel or Wasl Vista), developer Wasl Properties. Small mall on Jumeirah 1 side of Wasl Road opposite Emirates NBD at Al Safa Rd junction. Carrefour market supermarket. Several restaurants and cafes including Flippin Pizza (or not – seems to have disappeared before it opened), Soho Grill, The Coffee Club (check name), Tony Roma. Other shops include The Loft Fifth Avenue, opticians and money exchange. Parking roadside and underground. Upstairs are residential apartments for rent (1-3 bedrooms, facilities include swimming pool and gym). Website at waslvita.wasl.ae (no it’s not a joke, that music you hear really is from that website!).

Zabeel Mall – also called Al Wasl Mall or Al Wasel Mall? Location on Oud Metha Road (Jadaf area, near Al Wasl sports club or Al Wasl Football Club). Zabeel Mall is or will be owned by Al Wasl Club? Or one report (Gulf News 01 Feb 2006) said Al Wasl Club provided the land under a 30 year lease for AED 280 million, after which ownership of land and buildings will go to Al Wasl Club unless a new agreement is negotiated. Developer Five Stars Real Estate or Dubai Eye Investment Company? Owners/investors also include Grand Real Estate (Kuwait) and China Railway Company? Mall building 7 storeys high with shopping mall, hypermarket, cafes and restaurants, cinema, gold souk, mosque, 88 hotel apartments, and swimming pool? Total area 1.6 million square feet, built-up area 400,000 sq ft? Tel contact seen on advertising is +971-4-3340777. Email address might be [email protected], but website www.zabeelmall.ae not available (last checked July 2013). Not the same as Zabeel Plaza, a building in Karama on Zabeel Road. News release August 2004 said construction to start September 2004, completion and opening date in July 2006 (delayed until late 2008 according to February 2006 news report). Appears to have been cancelled or abandoned in 2008?